


your will is my will

by thehaakun



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, 少女☆歌劇 レヴュー・スタァライト | Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Fate/Stay Night AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 14:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17448941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehaakun/pseuds/thehaakun
Summary: Claudine could feel it, the static of magic sharp and tangible, coming together to form something -- someone -- and she was there in the midst of it, about to see it all.---[Kuromaya] Fate/Stay Night AU. Claudine summons the one servant who proves to be the greater challenge.





	1. summons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wOOPS FORGOT AUTHOR'S NOTES LOL
> 
> i've,, bee ncraving a Fate AU for Kuromaya for a LONG TIME LMAO and I COULDN'T HELP BUT WRITE ALL THIS OUT I just got so excited this AU is absolutely fascinating to me and I'd love to one day explore it more LMAO
> 
> and the ufotable UBW version with rin's summoning is such an iconic scene...great music great atmosphere great tension i just chef's kiss love it a lot...i hope i can do it justice somewhat with my writing (also rin and claudine are...similar...lol...)

With an expert flick of her wrist, Claudine lit the candle in her hand. Its wick flashed red, and a spark of flame soon lit the way before her.

Claudine hated going to the cellar -- it was always so chilly and cold and damp and old, but it was where her parents had left her magical inheritance. Their tomes, their contraptions, their catalysts for spells and rituals long past. Most importantly, the summoning circle lay down beneath her, and it was high time she took up the mantle and assumed leadership of the Saijo name.

Once she reached the end of the staircase, Claudine whispered another spell; the flame at the candle abruptly darted out into different directions, away from her and towards the walls, lighting up the candelabras around her. As the golden light glowed softly in the dimness, she saw that everything had been left just where she’d left it; heavy tables covered in dusty spellbooks, cobwebs crisscrossing here and there across strange machines.

Wrinkling her nose at the musty smell, Claudine set the candle down, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work.

She gathered up her magical notes, foreign words inscribed in black ink across faded parchment. She thrust aside old pots and baskets that cluttered the area. She pushed all the tables against the walls, groaning and cursing as she did so; soon enough, though, the center of the cellar was clear.

Finally. Dusting off her hands, Claudine stood before the summoning circle inscribed across the stone floor, runes adorning the outer edge, with inner circles and triangles placed within marked with their own sets of inscriptions. Kneeling down, Claudine inspected the handiwork, and nodded once she was satisfied. The circle was perfect -- as expected of her family, of course.

She breathed in, deeply. Now was the time to fetch the catalyst.

Striding over to one of the tables, Claudine pushed aside books that sat across its surface, bending over to clearly see the engraving marked in the center. _It shall be bestowed upon you._

“The Star which you have longed for,” she said aloud, clear and firm, and the engraving sank downwards and shifted to the side, revealing a hidden compartment underneath.

Her true inheritance. The last thing her parents had left her.

Gingerly and carefully, Claudine lifted up the small wooden box within, setting it down onto the table before she took in another deep breath. She gently lifted the lid of the box, and within…

A violet bow. Its color had faded with age, its edges a little rough over time. Nonetheless, it was in perfect shape for the summoning.

“Perfect,” Claudine said, to no one but herself. She bit down on her lip as she delicately picked the bow up in the palm of her hand, as if it were as fragile as a butterfly’s wings.

She checked her watch then. It was time.

Breathing in deeply once more, Claudine turned and stood at the edge of the circle, its black marks sharp and bold before her. With her other hand, she reached into the pocket of her jacket, grasping onto the number of gems and crystals there; the final ingredient.

Closing her eyes, Claudine extended her hand out before her, reciting the spell she’d memorized over and over, just for this moment.

“For the elements, silver and iron.” The gems in her fist melted, dropping onto the runes beneath.

Her voice came loud, and clear. She would not falter here.

“For the foundation, stone and the Archduke of Pacts.” The circle began to glow, a flash of silver illuminating the room.

“And for the ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg.” The air seemed to tighten and condense in the room, magic concentrating in on her.

“Close the gates of the four directions.” Claudine opened her eyes, the red in her irises just as bright and fierce as the illuminated circle before her. “Come forth from the Crown and follow the forked road leading to the kingdom.”

Another flash of light; the circle had turned red, glowing neon, and the flames in the candelabras extinguished themselves in wisps of smoke.

“Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill…” And as the last of the gems in her palm melted away and dropped onto the circle, Claudine felt the beginning touches of wind around her. “But when each is filled, destroy it.”

Her hand stayed where it was, held by another force unseen, and Claudine held her ground, her words, her incantation, stronger than ever.

_“Heed my words, my will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny!”_

Power. Claudine felt it, there in her palm. Magic, of an unspeakable strength.

“If you heed the Grail’s call and obey my will and reason, then _answer me!”_

A gust of wind made the papers of the books flutter sharply, and the smoke from the candles whirled in towards the circle, drawn in by an invisible funnel. Buffeted by the rush of air, Claudine grit her teeth, unconsciously gripping the violet bow in her palm.

“I swear, I shall be all the good in the world! That I shall defeat all evil in the world!”

She brought the bow close to her heart. “Thou Seventh Heaven, clad in three great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of the Scales!”

A burst of sound, like lightning colliding into thunder.

Claudine could feel it, the static of magic sharp and tangible, coming together to form _something -- someone --_ and she was there in the midst of it, about to see it all.

Crackles of electricity focused sharply at the center of the circle; Claudine stood there, wide-eyed, before a sudden shockwave of light exploded from the circle and the force shot her backwards with a plume of smoke -- with a cry of alarm, Claudine lost her footing and slammed backward into the floor.

Shakily pushing herself up from the floor, panting with exertion, drained from the mana she’d used, Claudine heard a _footstep._

Breathless, Claudine looked up and saw a hero standing before her, amidst the smoke and fading light of the circle beneath her.

A young woman, no doubt of a similar age, a magnificent golden tiara atop her brunette hair. Her red armor, accented with gold and white, had brilliant white pauldrons atop her shoulders, and a matching luminescent white cape flowed out behind her. The wind ruffled the edges of her hair, the glow of the runes beneath her accenting the sharp shadows across her regal face.

But it was the violet eyes staring back at her that sent a shiver down Claudine’s spine.

Spirit and mage gazed at each other, unspoken thoughts crackling in the faded midst of the Grail’s magic.

Another step, accompanied by the sound of armor, and Claudine’s Servant stepped forth from the billowing smoke as the candelabras lit themselves once more. The golden glow cast her Servant in a new light, and Claudine felt a wave of absolute power radiate from the Servant’s very existence, an aura that commanded authority and respect.

Power. Claudine felt it, down to the core of her very being. The most renowned hero of the ages stood before her, clad in her legendary armor, the golden tiara atop her head claiming her right to divine rule and absolute royalty.

Claudine knew then, what she’d done. She’d done it perfectly. She’d summoned the perfect spirit, the spirit’s violet bow still clasped in her palm.

And now, the Holy Grail War had truly begun. 


	2. battles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops forgot to add: I wanted a different tone for this second half b/c lbh Maya as a servant with Claudine as her master is just kind of like a mess waiting to happen LMAO

“You’re her,” Claudine finally blurted. “You’re…” Blinking, Claudine looked down at her fist, loosening her hand to look at the wrinkled violet bow within her palm; she turned her hand over, and there, on the back of her hand, were the signature three command seals tattooed in brilliant red. She’d _done it._ “You’re--”

“Tendou Maya,” the spirit said, and it took a step outside the circle, her gaze unfaltering. “And you?” An edge of coolness came to her words then, her eyes narrowing as she stared down at Claudine, still on the floor.

Claudine felt her face flush red, and she hastily stood up, scowling a little. _“I_ am your Master.”

“...Really.” Maya crossed her arms, giving Claudine a once-over. “How unfortunate.”

 _“Excuse me?”_ Only ten seconds into existence and already her Servant was giving her shit. “You can’t just--”

“I certainly can, as I just did,” Maya said, and she looked around her at the decrepit state of the cellar. With a frown and furrow of her brow, Maya walked over to a desk shoved against a wall, sliding a gauntleted finger across its surface, only to marvel at the amount of dust upon the tip of her finger.

“Hey! Don’t just _ignore_ me.” Claudine stalked over to stand next to Maya, who looked at her with raised eyebrows. “I’m your Master, so--”

“The fact that I was summoned in a...ah, _room_ such as this tells me a good deal about you, _Master,”_ Maya drawled with a flourish of her hand. “Your age, too. You’re quite young for a mage, aren’t you?”

“I’m the top of my class, thank you,” Claudine said stiffly. “And I’m a _Saijo.”_

“...Is that supposed to mean something to me? You do understand I lived several centuries before this?”

“Are _all_ Heroic Spirits as annoying as you?”

“Are all Masters as weak as you?”

Claudine came within an inch of backhanding Maya across the face, but she breathed in deeply through her nose; her parents hadn’t told her that her potential Servant might have a... _personality._ She would just have to take this in stride.

Amusement twinkled in Maya’s lavender eyes. “Oh? Are you satisfied with my performance, Master?”

“I--”

“Then let me set this all straight for you.” Maya turned, fixing a now steely gaze on Claudine, and Claudine had to fight the urge to take a step back as Maya pressed close to her, staring hard down at her. A cold chill emanated from Maya’s entire being, but Claudine refused to back down. “I doubt a child like you could win the war, so _I_ will do the planning and strategy for our battles in the coming days. Stay here, in…” She rolled her eyes, gesturing at the cellar. “This house, and keep safe here until I--”

_“No.”_

“...I’m sorry?”

Now it was Maya who took a step back as she saw the extreme intensity in Claudine’s red gaze, a ferocious anger and indignation brewing underneath the surface. “I. Will. _Not._ Stay here. _I am fighting.”_

“A mage like you wouldn’t stand a chance against another Spirit.”

“You wanna bet?”

Maya’s eyebrows shot straight up into her bangs. She hadn’t expected her youthful Master to rise to the challenge so easily. Then again...if Maya took a moment, she could feel the flow of Mana between the two of them, the link that bonded them to this war. Her Master had a great deal -- moreso than the average mage. Perhaps her Master being at the top of her class had its credit.

Claudine was almost thinking the same thing. “I challenge you, Tendou Maya. To a fight. If I win, you acknowledge me as your Master and we do things my way. If I lose, we’ll do things your way. Deal?”

“...By the terms of our contract, I agree with your proposal.”

With a fierce scowl, Claudine turned on her heel and haughtily stalked out of the cellar, tossing Maya’s violet bow aside onto another table and leaving an amused Maya to follow in her wake.

\---

Claudine couldn’t help but be a little smug as she walked Maya through the bottom floor of her house; not a mansion by any means, but nicer than the other homes nearby, and it’d been redecorated and renovated to the Saijo standard of perfection and modernity.

“I don’t live in garbage, do you see that now?” Claudine said.

“I do. I will apologize for assuming that, Master.” Maya didn’t sound apologetic at all; rather, that amusted lilt never left her voice, as if she were constantly humored by Claudine’s existence. “However, Master, I must tell you. Since you know my identity, you know that we Tendous are the best of all, yes?”

“I do.”

“Then you understand why I have issue with, ah, someone of your stature summoning me.”

“You’ll see, Maya. I’ll _prove_ to you that I’m the best Mage in this whole war.”

“...Then tell me, how did you come by my bow?”

“...It was something I inherited from my parents.”

“So you didn’t earn it on your own merit.”

“I _did_ earn it,” Claudine said through gritted teeth as they walked down another hallway. “I had to prove I deserved my place in this war. I’ve been through _years_ of training for this moment. I’m not about to let a Servant like you ruin my chances of winning the Holy Grail.”

“And I’m not about to let a Master like you ruin _my_ chances of winning the Grail.”

“I’ll prove it to you. I’m your Master, and you’ll accept that.” Claudine paused to unlock the front door, and as she opened it, a light evening breeze shuffled lightly past them both. Good. A clear night. It’ll help her with the upcoming battle.

“Mm. We’ll see, Master.”

Claudine was sure she’d wipe that smirk off her Servant’s face soon enough.

“My, my. You have quite the property.” Maya’s armor clinked softly as she followed Claudine out into the spacious backyard -- no, it might have counted as a field, with the amount of space before them both. “Quite a sizable amount of land, for someone so small.”

“Insult me again and I’ll use a command seal to shut your mouth, Maya.”

“As you wish, Master.”

Claudine whipped around, furiously scowling, and Maya stood there, moonlight reflecting white off her brilliant armor as she smirked back. It was so _unfair._ Why did the strongest Servant have to be so...so... _impossible?_

“I want to confirm one thing before I battle you.” Claudine rolled up her sleeves once more. “Are you truly a Saber-class servant?”

Maya laughed; in response, she held out her hand, and with a burst of light, a dazzling rapier materialized in her hand, its hilt crafted to look like a swan’s wings. “Is this answer enough for you, Master?”

“That’s fine.” The rapier was sharp and glinted dangerously in the silver light from above. “Whoever knocks the other out first wins, or whoever submits first, loses. Got it?”

“Sounds fair enough. For me, anyway. Not quite sure about you, however.” Maya lazily flourished her sword in her hand, looking calm and relaxed.

“Don’t try your luck.”

“Oh, I won’t need any for a battle with you.”

Claudine grit her teeth and took her position a few yards away from her Servant. Maya would meet her defeat soon enough.

\---

The battle was a long one. Longer than Maya had anticipated.

Claudine was adept at all forms of magic. The first second she’d summoned a sword on par with Maya’s own, deflecting a heavy blow from Maya’s rapier. Then after that, Maya had realized Claudine had had training in not only sword arts but martial as well; more than once, Claudine had landed a magically-reinforced punch or kick, knocking the wind out of Maya’s chest and sending her skidding across the dirt of the lawn. Then the long range spells came in, and Maya had to hastily dodge and leap away from showers of rain, hail, stone, and gusts of strong wind that buffeted her this way and that across the field. No doubt about it -- Claudine was a skilled mage.

But Maya wasn’t a Saber-class for nothing. She deflected with her sword, parrying away Claudine’s attacks before launching her own barrage of stabs and swings and slashes.

They tore the entire backyard apart, earth ripped apart at the seams, scorched or frozen or blown apart by their attacks.

Maya had to admit, as she was panting hard after yet another bout, rapier still gripped in her hand, that Claudine was good. Better, than expected. A more formidable foe than most of the enemies she’d met in her lifetime. In the end, however, Maya knew her Master was human, and she herself was a Spirit, summoned for battle in a mages’ war.

Claudine was exhausted by then. She’d depleted a good deal of her mana, not only having to sustain herself but Maya as well; the few crystals she’d had for catalysts for spells had long since been used up, and now all she had left was her physical body to sustain her through the rest of the battle. She knew, soon enough, Maya would knock her out -- but still, in her heart, in the courage and determination that drove her to compete, Claudine would always refuse to lose.

But her body could only do so much.

Maya took that opportunity in stride. With the pommel of her blade, she slammed it against the center of Claudine’s chest, and Claudine flew backward, hitting the ground hard and skidding across the dirt.

Slowly, gingerly, nursing her own wounds, Maya stepped towards her Master, seeing her in a new light, in that way that her Master defiantly gazed up at her, pushing herself up from the ground.

Claudine said nothing, her fierce gaze red and vivid, her face dirtied by soot and smoke and dirt. Even so, with her clothes mangled and ripped and torn, Maya had to admit that her Master cut an intimidatingly beautiful sight.

They stared at each other, spirit to mage, hero to human.

“Do you accept defeat, Master?”

Claudine glared at her with all the defiance and contempt she could muster. “I will _never_ accept defeat, and especially not from you. I won’t lose -- not to you, and not to anyone else in this war.”

Maya said nothing. In the sky above them, the colors were lightening from indigos to early dawn grays, and the soft glow of morning sunlight lit the contours of Claudine’s face. Maya saw something, then. In the way those red eyes gazed back at her, unfaltering, unbowed, unbroken by her ordeal.

Maya saw a Master willing to fight a war, willing to do what was necessary to win, willing to prove her strength and power. Maya saw someone worthy of her, someone worthy of fighting at her side.

Without a word, Maya loosened her hand, and her rapier disappeared into nothingness.

Claudine’s eyes widened in surprise. “What...what are you doing?”

“Master,” Maya said slowly. “What is your name?”

Claudine blinked. “My name is Claudine. Saijo Claudine.”

Maya knelt before Claudine, bowing her head and placing her hand over her heart.

“Then on my honor as a Saber, I accept your oath.” Another spark of magic crackled between them, a flash of red glowing from the seals on the back of Claudine’s hand. Claudine’s eyes went wide, as she felt the threads of magic bind the two of them even closer than before.

“I accept you as my Master, Saijo Claudine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it'd be great to somehow someday explore this AU more but I have zero thought of how an AU like this would go LOL b/c the original FSN is. uhhh. not that great LOL but maybe someday...
> 
> anyway I imagine Maya as like. her ReLIVE 4* version but different with cooLER ARMOR that I can't describe that well b/c I can't quite imagine what her cooler armor would be other than copy-paste Saber LOL but different color scheme so THERE'S THAT LOL
> 
> thanks for reading tho!! if anyone's still here for Fate AUs LOL


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